Center Is Final Stop For Needy South Orange Agency Helps When Others Fail

November 27, 1985|By Mildred A. Williams of The Sentinel Staff

PINE CASTLE — When a family's electricity is turned off, or a child needs a pair of school shoes, the Community Center of South Orange County takes action.

The non-profit, welfare agency in Pine Castle keeps a closet full of new clothes for children at its office at 624 Hoffner Ave. Money is available for needy people who fall between the cracks of other public assistance agencies.

''We try to emphasize to clients that this should be a temporary situation, and, if they do their part, we can get them out of it,'' said Opal Calhoun, executive director of the center.

Besides providing emergency clothing, food and other assistance, the center also offers a summer recreation program for low-income children in the Tangelo Park and Taft areas, helps youths find summer jobsand offers counseling and craft classes.

The center, based in a house just off Orange Avenue, suffers from a lack of publicity, Calhoun says. While clients are aware of the services provided by the agency, the general public does not know, she said.

Because of its low profile, the center's potential for obtaining contributions of services and goods, which it relies on heavily, has been hampered, Calhoun said.

The agency held its annual meeting last week and members and friends were urged to spread the word about programs offered at the center.The pool of needy people seems to be increasing every year, they were told.

The number of people served by the center jumped from 7,000 in 1983 to 12,000 in 1984. Through September of this year, the center has served about 1,100 clients a month and officials predict that more than 15,000 will have been served by the end of the year.

Calhoun said she believes a sluggish economy, an increase in company layoffs and a migration to the warm climate of Central Florida is responsible for the growing number of disadvantaged people.

Directors of the center are making plans to accomodate the growing demand. The center plans to break ground next month for a $197,000 multi-purpose building on Wilks Street, just behind the current center. The new building will allow the agency to expand its programs and aid more needy people, agency spokesmen say.

The Central Florida Capital Funds Committee, the Edyth Bush Foundation and an anonymous donor provided funds to build the facility. The current building, which the center has occupied since 1980, will be used for offices, and the center's other frame building will continue to be used as a distribution center.

Also at the annual meeting, members voted to change the name of the agency to the Community Service Center of Orange County, because its programs are available to clients outside of south Orange. The agency has also provided some emergency assistance to residents in Osceola County, Calhoun said. The name change will become effective in January.

Founded in 1970, the center seeks to ''help people to break the welfare cycle,'' Calhoun says.

Clients are urged to give something back to the center after they get back on their feet. Most clients have been refused service by several other agencies by the time they get to the community center.

Relatives of a comatose woman at Orlando Regional Medical Center were recently referred to the center after no other agency could help them find housing while they remained in the area waiting for the woman's condition to improve. The service center is providing lodging for the relatives, who are here from Tennessee and Kentucky.

Funded by United Way and private donations, the center has an operating budget of $196,000. However, a large percentage of the center's services are provided without any money ever being exchanged. Many are provided by individuals or organizations who volunteeer their time and skills to on a regular basis.

For example, the center has arranged for several hundred indigent patients to be flown across the country to hospitals near their homes or to hospitals with better facilities. That service is provided by a local pilot who refuses to allow his name to be released, Calhoun said.

Various churches, civic groups and other organizations also donate their time by mending garments given to the center by area stores, answering phones at the office and mowing the center's lawn.